Process of manufacturing gas from wood.



B. LOOMISK; H. PETTIBONE.

PROCESS OF MANUFACTURING GAS FROM WOOD.

APPLICATION FILED N0v.24,1903.

927,418, Patented July 6, 1909.

2 SHBETBSHEET 1.

q vi lmeooeo I v Z aw j t /LJ-M 7 1 I W B. LOOMIS & H. PETTIBONE.

moozass OF MANUFACTURING GAS FROM WOOD.

APPLIGATION FILED NOV. 24, 1908. 927,418 Patented July 6, 1909.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

wane/mac no 5 M v & M/u/G UNITED STATES PATENT oFF cE,

BURDET'I! Loon-Is, or HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT, AND HAWLEY, PE'BTIBONE,,OE NEW? ROCHELLE,.NEW YORK, ASSIGNORS T POWER-AND MINING mourn-Ema COMPANY,

A CORPORATION OF N EW'JERSEX.

Pnocn ss OFHANURK'GTUFING Memos wean I specificatioh ofIletters Patent.

' Patented-Julyzfl, 1909;

Applicationflled Noiremlier zi 1903:- semi N8; 182,4:

I HAWLEY PETTIBONE, citizens of the United States, residing, respectively, atH-artford, inthe county of Hartford and State of' Con nectiout, and at New Rochelle, in the county of'Westchester and State of 'New York, have invented new and} useful Improvements in- Proeesses of ManufacturingGas from Wood, of which the following isa s ecification';

Tins-invention relates-tot e manufacture of afixed, high-grade producer gas and water-gas-from wood'in egas generatingap-- 1paratus in which air is -drawndowninto the ody of ignited wood, and the resultingfixed gas-is drawn off byan'exhauster'fr'om the generators.

The object of our invention is to provide for effectively and economically generating fixed producer-gas, or -producergas and water gas, from wood in acup'o'la generating apparatus. p I

y numerous practical te'stswehmve found that it is difficult and impracticable to main-- tain" a uniform and suitable fuel'bed-in a? cupola'generator by using wood alone'forthe' fuel, that will produce" a constant and :u'n'iform quality of gas; and" further, that it is ofgreet advantage to maintain a layer of" verting'carbonio acidifito carbon monoxide sumed'in the operation.

The layer ofincande'scent liard coal or coke rectifi'es anyinequalities of the gasc'aused by variations in the fuel lied formed by the wood. onlvthe minimum proportion of uantity ofhard coal or'c'oke isco'nsumed, as t ieoxygen in the air is consumed by pass ingtlirough the flaming" wood and charcoal" above the body of coke;

During the manufacture o'f ga s a large vol;- ume' of volatile vapors, containingcarbona ceous matter, is given oil" from the ignited Wood and a sufficient quantity of charcoal is formed to cause most of the reactions whereby "the carbon 'dioxid isconverted into carbon monoxid, and principally for this reason very little of the specially prepared -'ari'df uniform body of hard carbon is con- Th-eoffice' oftlue body of'hard' co al '01- coke is majinly. toform" a uniform and regulated body' of-carliotf,

from large interstices and' open" spaces" use ages generating apparatus'consisting two cupolsa generators A and B; connected" base of the tubular" steam boiler. E;

app ar'atu's, (not here" shown" posed of brick arches, and a pressure, may alsojconnectwitli fille asl lpit of'eaicli generator, or't lre air, rgaseonsfl rirt 5 ma B'eadinit'ted tlirou gh sa'id pipesL and M.

through* whicli undeeomposed vapors and carbon dioxid would escapew'ithout proper decomposition and conversiorr into" fixed combustible*gfas:

The following is" the aethal record of one plant, 'for' one'montli, running twentywfour so hours a; day:

We willnowdesefllwourprocess in detail by reference to the accompanying-drawings; inwhieh,- 4

Fi ure I represents a vertical ection of" two connected gas generators mel'eve' tion' of 'a tubular-boiler? Fig. Q'repreSents-a top plan view ofthe same. Fig: repre: sents a rear elevation" of the two-connected gas generators, thetuhullrrboiler and air-exauster; With'parts'inse'ctium In I carrying outtheprocess weprefera'hlyl' at the -top'by a'pipe-or flue G, arid-connected atthe baseor'ash pit'by the gas oritl't ipes" D and I), having valveslfanel d, witii$he boiler E, is constructed with tlie usual" gas cli'amliers or smokeboxe's, m and m at top" and Bottom, ancl'a gas outl'et pipe-F, having a valvef', connectswithtlietb' gescii'a'mlier' andlea-ds to an exhauster asshowri-in: Fig. 3. A scrubber, or'othe'r' gas cleaning" may Be'iriter posed between the" boiler" 1% and the 631 hauster; A gas outlet pi e" (i, having a valve g, alsoiconnects wit the'upperges chamber of theboiler'end' may'lea'd "to a separateholder. Water ga's, when made, may be-passed throughsaid pipe G or theou'tlet' pipe 'F, through the ex'lia'uster to theho'ldef for produoer gas'. The generators andBi areprovide'd with grates-b, preferably come s pits A steam supply pipe L, liaving't'a valvel, connects with the base*or'ashp'ifiofgenera tor A, ands; similarstea'm' rpe'M, Havinga valve m, connects Withthje' as'eor' asl'i jitoi' generatorB'; PipesL, L liavin area ve'l" for admitting airor gaseous hid, under i of the generator.

' valves, as d, is closed and steam is admitted first place a layer, two or three feet in depth, of good coke or hard coal K upon the grates J) and kindle wood fires on top of such beds of coke, and continue to charge wood as required. The exhauster being in operation and the lids cc being partly open, air will be drawn down into the wood, causing combustion of the same, and the resulting producergas, containing aqueous and hydrocarbon vapors and carbonic acid, will be passed down through the body of incandescent coke K, where the vapors are decomposed into hydrogen, carbureted hydrogen, and carbon monoxid, and the carbonic acid which is first made is converted into carbon monoxid. The flame and hot products from the wood, passing downward will highly heat the body of coke K and maintain it at a suitable temperature for causing the above stated reactions. Very little of the body of coke K will be consumed since no free oxygen is admitted to it. The coke, however, remains a uniform incandescent body, ermitting the gases and vapors to pass free y through the interstices throughout the whole cross area The fresh .charges of wood I are gradually reduced to charcoal J and then to ashes, which together with fine charcoal gradually plug the interstices in the body of coke KI In order to clean the fires and keep them in good condition steam is occasionally admittedunder pressure and, preferably, in impulses into the bases of the generators, or directly into the Jody of hard coal or coke K for blowing" tie fine carbon and ashes out of the intersti es of the fuel and for making water-gas. In blowing with steam and thus making water-gas one of the through valve Z to the base of the generator A, and is passed thence up into the body of incandescent fuel where decomposition is effected The blast of steam drives the fine charcoal andash out of the body of coke K and charcoal J, causing them to accumulate upon the sides of the generator, as indicated at T. The water-gas made in the generator A passes therefrom through the pipe connection G and thence down through the fuel in generator B, where all the vapors are converted into fixed gas by final passage through the body of incandescent coke K. The water-gas may be drawn off by the exhauster N, or may pass off through pipe G to a separate holder. When it is desired to again blow out ashes and make water-gas, the valve (1 will be closed and valve (51 will be opened, and steam admitted through valve m into the base of enerator B,.and the resulting water=gas will pass down through the body of fuel in generator A' and thence through the boiler E. The fires are thus kept in like uniform condition. This occasional manufacture of water-gas is advan-' tageous, for the reason that air cannot be drawn continuously down through the bodies of fuel as the resistance greatly increases, probably due to the fact that the interstices in the lower strata of fuel become plugged or.

moving the hard coal or cokeand then cleaning out the wood ashes. The coke after having been separated from the ashes is then put back on to the grate, wood fires again kindled and the process of manufacturing gas from wood resumed, as above described. In manufacturing gas from wood the course of the producer-gas through the generators' may be similar to that above described for water-gas, and the operation may be conducted as follows: The wood being ignited and the coke K heated to incandescence in both of the generating chambers A and B, one of the valves, as cl, is closed,

while valve d is opened. Air may now be vapors distilled from the wood. This mixed gas and vapor is then passed through pipe C and thence down through the body of wood and incandescent hard carbon in generator B where decomposition of the vapors is effected and carbonic acid converted into carbon monoxid. The resulting fixed as passes off at the bottom through pi e T), thence up through the boiler F and t e exhauster to the holder. While air is being drawn up into the generator A and producergas made in said generator, the lids a: of generator B may be partly open, admitting air into the top of generator l3. In this case the gas and vapors from generator A and air will be passed down through the incandescent fuel in generator B. When desired, the above described operation may be reversed, that is, air first admitted into the base of generator B and the gases and vapors passed down through the incandescent fuel in generator A and thence through the boiler and aeriform fluid should be under pressure and admitted in sudden impulses, sufficiently ferably be placed on theoutlet of each generator, as on the pipes D, D, or on the outlet pipe F leading from the boiler, for indicating the vacuum in the generators and the condition of the fire. This vacuum ga e will indicate when the bodies of hard car on K have become plugged with ashes, fine charcoal, or lam black, and the fire will then be cleaned as a ove described. l

Having described our invention, what we claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent, 1s

1. The process of making fixed producer gas from wood which consists in placing in the base of a cupola a regulated body of hard carbon, then igniting and burning a body of wood on top of the hard carbon, drawing the resulting flame down through the hard carbon and heating it to incandescence, feeding wood as re uired and drawing air down into the body 0 wood and drawing the resulting flame, hot gas and vapors down throu h said body of incandescent hard carbon, t ereby converting the vapors and carbonic acid into fixed combustible gas.

2. The process of making wood gas which consists in burning a body of Wood on top of a body of incandescent hard carbon, drawing air down into the wood, and the resulting flame, gas and vapors down through the incandescent hard carbon, and at suitable intervals blowing out ash and fine charcoal from the interstices of the fuel by a blast of aeriform fluid.

3. The process of making wood gas which consists in burning a body of wood on top of a body of hard carbon, heating the same to incandescence, drawing air down into the wood, and the resultin flame, gas and vapors down through the ard carbon, thereby convertin the vapors and carbonic acid into fixed com ustible gas, and at suitable intervals blowing out ash and fine charcoal from the interstices of the fuel by a counterblast of steam, aeriform, or gaseous fluid, forced in the reverse direction through the fuel.

4. The process of making wood-gas which consists in placing bodies of hard carbon, such as hard coal or coke, on the grates or bases of two cupola generating chambers, then i nitin and burning bodies of wood on top ,0 the odies of hard carbon, drawing the resulting flame through said hard carbon and heating it to incandescence, feeding wood as required, and drawing air down into the wood, and the resultin flame, gas and vapors down through the odies of incandescent hard carbon, thereby converting the vapors and carbonic acid into fixed combustible gas, at suitable intervals shutting off the air at the top, and closing the gas outlet-pipe at the base of one chamber and then blowing ash and fine carbon, by a counterblast, out of the interstices of the fuel in said chamber and drawing the resulting gases down through the incandescent fuel in the adjacent chamber.

. In testimony whereof we have signed our names to this specification in the presence-of two subscribing witnesses.

BURDETT LOOMIS.

.HAWLEY PETTIBONE.

Witnesses:

LEWIS B. BUDD, W. D. MoRRIs. 

